


A Man Without Honor

by snowkind



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dwarf/Mermaid Relationship(s), Dwarves, Elves, Everyone has a crush on the mermaid, Express Shipping Services, F/M, Feels, I'm all about that shipping life, Mermaids, No Tauriel, Orcs, Pre-Movie(s), Pre-The Hobbit, Sea Monsters, She's a freaking mermaid, Shipping, Short Story, Sorry Tauriel, The Lord of the Rings References, Who wouldn't have a crush on the mermaid?, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5348198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowkind/pseuds/snowkind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A classic hero's journey, or in this case heroine, that involves a most peculiar set of circumstances.</p>
<p>
  <b> *ON HIATUS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE PERMANENT DEPENDING ON WHETHER I FIND MY INSPIRATION AGAIN TO CONTINUE THIS STORY.<br/>MAY MY LOVE FOR KÍLI ALWAYS BURN ON REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT I FINISH THIS STORY AND APOLOGIES TO THOSE READERS WHO ENJOYED READING THIS STORY. HOPEFULLY I'LL FIND MY INSPIRATION SOON! </b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Concerning Mermaids

**Author's Note:**

> This short fanfiction, which is an adaption to both The Hobbit novel and films (and some references to the Lord of The Ring series), is in honor of a romance between an original character and Kíli because my love for the attractive, dwarf male can never be satisfied!
> 
> Note, this story is heavily heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien's works as some of the text is directly transcribed!  
> I don't own any of the characters save for Irimëa and certain animals with names.  
> Some of the information pertaining to mermaids comes from tolkiengateway.net or lotr.wikia.com while a majority comes from my imagination because I'd like to be a mermaid!
> 
> Finally, there are spoilers so please read at your own risk!
> 
> Love,
> 
> May ( ˘ ³ ˘ )♥
> 
> P.S. The story is most likely embellished with various spelling errors and grammar issues... I tend to overlook a few things while writing and even re-reading! If you happen to spot any problems, please let me know so I may fix it! Thank you!

This book is largely concerned with Mermaids, but from its pages a reader may discover much of their character and some of their history.

Mermaids are a serene and fabled people for they have rarely been sighted, and even these accounts are taken with a mere pinch of salt. From the few resources in existence, Mermaids are known to be people of love and peace who act as servants or helpers to the Maiar— mostly in association with Uinen, wife to Ossë and Lady of the Sea. The Mermaids were part of what apparently was a three-fold division of the lesser Ainu spirits: sylphs, sprites, and water spirits. A basic division of two groups of water spirits, with their Elvish names, are divided into the _Oarni_ , also  _Oaritsi_ , and _Falmaríni_  and  _Wingildi_. Other names for these creatures were foam-maidens, foam-fays, foam-riders, and nymphs.

Even in ancient days they were, as a rule, curious yet shy of the ‘Walkers’, as they call us, and occasionally when we are near large bodies of water and there is an unexpected disturbance from underneath, it can be rightfully assumed that a Mermaid was the cause of such ripple.

They are, the upper half, akin to Elves while the lower half resembles that of a fish’s tail. They are quick of hearing and sharp-eyed, and though they are in possession of a fishtail as opposed to legs, they are nonetheless elegant and deft in their movements. They are blessed with the art of healing and are endowed with ethereal grace and various powers.

As for the Mermaids of the Belegaer Sea, with whom these tales are concerned, in the days of their peace and prosperity they were a merry folk. They dressed in nothing save for various accessories of the body, being notably fond of silver and blue adornments. Their appearance was unusually beautiful of face and body, with mouths apt to singing, and to smiling and laughing. And sing they did, often and angelically, being fond of the beat of the waves in fluid tune with their songs.

Mermaids lack any sort of conceivable death inside water since they are immune to all diseases, and they can recover from wounds that would normally kill a mortal Man. However, Mermaids can be slain or be subject to death if they are denied access to water for an extended period of time. It is plain indeed that Mermaids are relatives of Elves: nearer Elves than to us, or even Dwarves. However, of old they spoke the languages of Men, and liked and disliked much the same things as Men did.

At no time had Mermaids of any kind been warlike, and they had never fought among themselves. Nonetheless, ease and peace had left this people still curiously tough. They are, if it comes to it, extremely difficult to daunt, but at need can become the most vicious and aggressive of creatures.


	2. An Unexpected Net

In a gulf near the Blue Mountains there lived mermaids. Not a musty, pungent, muddy gulf topped with algae and an oozy smell: it was a mermaid gulf, and that means tranquility.

It had the shape of an arrowhead and originated from the Belegaer Sea where crystal-clear water flowed into the deep recess. A cool breeze seemed to constantly whisper across the calm waters of the gulf, and every now a then a bird would rest near the edge of the gulf to take a sip of the refreshing water. Just to the North were the Blue Mountains, a grand spectacle that provided a breathtaking view of an iridescent gleam from the fresh snow that sprinkled the tops of the glowing cobalt mountains. In the evening, bright twinkling stars would rise from behind the peaks of the mountains, and a pool of glittering lights would be reflected into the water. The river Lhûn flowed into the gulf and held a course from the North of the Blue Mountains, and various ports built by Elves were scattered along the edges of the gulf. Though Elves were mainly seen roaming through the gulf, no one had ever thought to check under the water to find another species living peaceful lives.

One mermaid was a very well-to-do mermaid, and her name was Irimëa. The foam-fay had lived in the gulf for a majority of her lifetime, traversing between the Great Sea and the gulf yet never going past the mouth of Lhûn past the Grey Havens. Mermaids had inhabited the Belegaer Sea since the beginning of the First Age, and many never had any adventures or did anything that revealed much of their existence. This is a story of how a mermaid had an adventure, and found herself saying and revealing things that some mermaids weren’t even aware of knowing. She may have broken years of traditional practice, but she fixed— well, you will see whether she fixed anything in the end.

By some curious chance one midnight long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was less noise and more blue, and Irimëa was gliding along the surface of the gulf near the shore— a rustle caught the attention of the mermaid. A rustle! If you had heard this noise in the customary, dead-silence of the forest that surrounded the borders of the Mountains to the North, you would be curious too. She had not been one to linger whenever there was the slightest suspicion other land creatures were near, but a sudden glimmering glint among the thickets mesmerized the mermaid and before she knew it, a group of bumbling, yelling, loud dwarves charged towards the shore. At once the glistening shine she had once been so transfixed on came hurling after her and Irimëa found herself caught in a heavy, constricting net made of mithril.

            “I’m starving, tired, and I’ve got a gulf of my own in these boots after crossing that river. Remind me why we’ve decided to settle the Blue Mountains?” A gruff voice cut through the darkness as Irimëa struggled to escape the net while several pairs of strong arms pulled the mermaid up from the water and onto land. It didn’t take long for the mermaid to scream bloody-murder, and it didn’t take long to feel the impact of the earthy ground slam into the side of her body as the startled dwarves dropped the girl.

            “Did our dinner just scream?” The same voice asked.

            “Someone get a fire going.” A different, resonant voice commanded.

With a few shuffles here and grumbles there, the mermaid was soon met with a rather peculiar sight as at least a dozen pair of eyes stared back into her own smoky, silver eyes.

            “What on Arda is tha-” Another dwarf began, his mouth gaping open as wide as his eyes were gawking at the sight of the mermaid.

Irimëa remained silent as she stared back in awe. The shock value of being caught and brought onto land was overwhelming for the mermaid to swallow, and thus made it extremely difficult for her to formulate any sort of words— not to mention the fact that she was literally a fish out of water and was quite in desperate need of water to properly function. Regardless, she began to squirm along the earth with frustrated sighs escaping her mouth as the dwarves continued to stare at her foolish floundering.

            “You don’t think… I can barely believe my eyes… and completely naked too…”

            “Do we still eat… it?”

            “I’m starving and we’ve been traveling for miles on end, I don’t care what I eat as long as it’s warm to the belly.”

            “So should we _kill_ it?”

At the mention of killing and a small murmur of what sounded like agreement, Irimëa stopped her squirming and grit her teeth. She had honestly not intended to be caught nor did she have any desire to have to hurt anyone else, but with the notion that her own life was going to be put to an end sparked a sort of fight or flight mechanism within the girl that caused her to open her mouth and prepare to release another shriek whose frequency would be so high and so intense that it would be guaranteed to rupture the eardrums of those within a ½ mile radius and potentially cause nasty headaches, nausea, paralysis, light-headedness, and in some cases death. As harmonious and divine a mermaid’s singing could sound, so could it also take on a discordant, lethal note.

            “ **Stop**.” The rich voice that had commanded the fire be made broke the quiet chattering among his companions, and the owner of such voice soon stepped forwards from the group.

The dwarf’s harsh, frostbitten pair of blue eyes immediately clashed with the mermaid’s, causing her to sharply intake a breath of dry air. The small fire crackled by his feet while shadows danced across the dwarf’s grave face, evidently granting him a more regal and almost menacing expression. For the first time in her life, Irimëa felt _terrified_. She held her breath while the two shared the vehement gaze, and suddenly let out a yelp when the dwarf swiftly bent down and helped free her from the ensnaring net.

            “Thorin…?” One of the dwarves uttered as they all watched the prince free their captive.

He offered no sort of reply to his followers and instead scooped his arms underneath the mermaid’s back and tail, lifting her with ease. Irimëa continued to stare into the male’s eyes partly out of fear and partly out of fascination when he carried her off the ground and made his way to the edge of the gulf.

Bending onto one knee, Thorin tried his best to gently transition the mermaid from his arms and back into the water. The moment Irimëa could feel the cool liquid kiss her bare skin once more she _almost_ made a break for it and _almost_ vowed to never come to the surface again. _Almost_. Instead, the mermaid remained near the edge and watched the dwarf straighten himself up, a smile barely ghosting his lips as he did so.

Irimëa, now feeling more at ease and less on the verge of possibly blowing out everyone’s eardrums, maintained their eye contact but swam a little farther away to signal her (reluctant) departure. Thorin raised an eyebrow of amusement at the girl’s hesitation and brought a hand to his chest before slightly tipping his head, another more evident smile now painted onto his lips. The sight of the dwarf’s reverent gesture brought an inexplicable feeling to the mermaid’s chest, one of the many she was soon going to experience, and instantly returned a tender smile. Finally, with a last lingering look and a flick of her tail, she took her leave. Little did she know, however, that this silent exchange would be the beginning of a newfound alliance between the heard-headed, stubborn dwarves and the once fictitious, benevolent mermaids.


	3. Roast Mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations can be found in the end notes or if you hover over the Khuzdul/Quenya phrases

            “Come, brother! I think I’ve got something!”

            “I’m right behind you, just make sure it doesn’t escape!”

            “It looks like a big catch, uncle is going to be so proud!”

            “Kíli… I don’t think that’s a fish.”

Irimëa scoffed in disbelief as she struggled against the rope nets that bound her in the water. She couldn’t help but feel a sensation of déjà vu from an event that happened nearly forty years ago, and whether or not it was a nostalgic feeling didn’t change the fact that she was annoyed.

At last when her two captors, both male dwarves who looked barely an eighth old of an average dwarf’s life expectancy, arrived near the bank of the river, the mermaid let out a grunt of frustration.

            “What is it with you dwarves constantly trying to eat us? I should have you know that roast mermaid would not be the most delectable of dishes!”

Both of the dwarves stared at the girl for a brief moment with wide eyes before exchanging looks of surprise to one another. Soon enough, they both lunged towards the riverbank and assisted the helpless creature out of their trap.

            “Are you alright, miss?” The blond dwarf asked anxiously, tipping his head a bit in an apologetic manner.

            “Fíli! Not just any miss, she’s a mermaid!” The other dark-haired dwarf exclaimed excitedly, ramming an elbow into his brother’s side.

            “Yes, she’s a mer-OOF! Why you…” Fíli growled at the sudden jab from the other and was quick to hold his brother into a headlock, forgetting about the mermaid’s presence.

The young princes continued to tussle along the bankside, much to Irimëa’s entertainment, until they rolled down into the river and into their own entangling net with a great splash.

            “W-Wait a second! Enough you two, you’re going to hurt yourselves!” The mermaid rushed to the thrashing pair and after several moments of detangling and making sure no one was in danger of drowning, she retreated backwards and watched the brothers catch their breaths. Panting and drenched to the bone, the dark-haired dwarf let loose a merry howl before smoothing his wet, disheveled hair away from his face.

            “Fíli! A mermaid!”

Fíli nodded breathlessly and brought a hand to his brother’s shoulder in an attempt to support himself.

            “We’ve… we’ve already established that, and I don’t thi-” The blond paused as his eyes slowly moved from the rippling water to the mermaid’s shimmering tail with scales as bright as the luminous sapphires that might have been found in mines of the Lonely Mountain, up to her pale arm’s and bare skin so fair that it rivaled the merciless snowfall found at the tops of the Blue Mountains, to her blossom-white hair that shone in the light of the sun and splayed into the water so effortlessly as if it were water itself, and finally to the gentle, soft features of her face.

            “I don’t thi..think…” Fīli began again, tilting his head forwards once more in an act of gallantry.

            “I don’t think we’ve properly introduced ourselves. Fíli, at your service.”

            “Uh, I… K-Kíli, at your service?” The younger brother stuttered in confusion, his eyes now suddenly locking with hers.

Irimëa laughed softly at the change in atmosphere and bowed her head in a similar manner.

            “Irimëa, at _your_ service.”

            “I’m sorry for thinking you were a fish.” Kíli suddenly blurted out, an apology that did not fail to make the nymph laugh.

            “Well you’re not wrong… you’re half correct!” She laughed again and glided further backwards.

            “And you must be freezing, why don’t you two run back to fetch some dry clothes? I would hate to see you both turn sick.”

Fíli nodded vigorously, his teeth now beginning to chatter. Without any hesitation, the male clambered over the bankside and quickly scurried back into the depths of the woods towards the base of the mountains, leaving the remaining dwarf and the mermaid to themselves.

Irimëa offered a curious look, a look to which Kíli swiftly averted his eyes to.

            “Kíli, was it? Aren’t you cold too?”

The corners of his lips curled upwards at her question, and he looked up again with a roguish twinkle in his eyes.

            “If I go, will I be able to see you again?”

* * *

            “So what you’re trying to say is that dwarves do not simply spring up from the ground?”

Kíli chuckled at her question and tilted his head to the side, his eyes searching the mermaid’s captivating face.

            “Well dwarven women make up no more than a third of the whole population, and they seldom walk abroad unless at great need… and they tend to resemble dwarf-men so much so that the eyes and ears of other people cannot tell them apart.”

Irimëa pursed her lips together and swam closer to the bankside, her slender fingers now barely resting on the edge of the dirt and grass.

            “And are you a dwarrowdam?”

Kíli opened his mouth as if he had just been insulted, but quickly lapsed into an outbreak of laughter.

            “I didn’t think mermaids were so brutal with their words!”

            “I’m only this expressive when I’m with you— I suppose you bring out the worst in me.” She teased and let go of the bankside, now gliding backwards.

            “Th-Then what about me? Do you bring out the worst in me?” The dwarf suddenly asked, a bit alarmed by her abrupt retreat.

Irimëa laughed in response and treaded in the same spot for a few moments before returning to the edge of the river where Kíli could easily touch her if he just reached out and barely lifted his arm.

            “I think I bring out the gentle side of you.”

            “Gentle? Oh no, miss. I’ve got no gentle side.”

            “Oh? Is that so.”

            “Yes, it’s true. I’m probably the most ferocious dwarf you’ll have ever met. It takes a lot to restrain myself; even Fíli can’t always contain my immense strength.”

Irimëa grinned and without any hesitation reached up to just scarcely graze the tips of her fingers against the dwarf’s cheek. Kíli reacted quickly to her touch, turning rigid at first then relaxing just as fast. His breath appeared to shallow for a moment and a pale pink seemed to dust his face. She laughed softly and swiftly retracted her arm.

            “I bet it must take _a lot_ to restrain yourself.”

* * *

            “Now that you’ve had your fill of questions it’s my turn.”

            “Okay… what would you like to know?”

            “Have you ever eaten a fish?”

            “Kíli! What kind of question is that?”

            “I’m serious! Ever since I met you I’ve been genuinely wondering if you have ever eaten something other than plants.”

            “Well first off, eating a fish is just a repulsive idea to me. I’m part fish! It’s like if you were to eat another dwarf.”

            “Eh… I kind of see what you’re getting at, but that’s the thing! You’re only _part_ fish.”

            “That doesn’t change the fact that I would be committing cannibalism!”

            “I’m still not convinced but I won’t judge you based on your dietary habits… Except maybe the fact that all you eat are greens and _that_ is a repulsive idea to me.”

            “Well unlike dwarves, I don’t need meat to survive.”

            “Have you even tried any sort of meat?”

            “Eating another creature seems kind of cruel.”

            “So you’ve never had a nice, fat, juicy chicken leg? Fire-roasted mutton? Fried rabbit? Grilled sausages?”

            “Mmm… no, no, and no.”

            “How have you lived a happy life?”

Irimëa rolled her eyes and scoffed.

            “Okay, in all seriousness I’m sure you’ve lived a very peaceful, happy life. Especially now that you’ve met me.” He snickered and winked at the mermaid.

            “Yes, you’re right. My entire seventy-two years of existence up to this point have been grim until I met you— the dwarf who insisted on coming to the riverbed every day in hopes of talking to a mermaid.”

            “It’s not my fault you and your people have kept your existence a secret! And I’m a curious dwarf so I like learning about yo… learning about mermaids in general.”

Irimëa raised an eyebrow and felt her lips curl into a smile.

            “Fine. What else would you like to know?”

            “Do you ever sleep?”

            “I can enter a sort of ‘suspended animation’ period in which my body reduces my metabolism and any other internal activity. I believe it performs a similar restorative function as sleep does for you.”

            “Have you ever wielded a weapon?”

            “Yes, if you count my tail as a weapon. It’s quite lethal if you’re on the receiving end of having a tail slammed into you. And did you know your questions are very random and quite entertaining?”

            “I know I’m an entertaining fellow, which is probably why you’re always so intrigued to talk to me.”

            “Then… did you know your ego is very overbearing?”

            “I know you think I’m cute and charming.”

Irimëa paused at his comment and stared at him with a blank expression. He grinned at the girl and even began to wiggle his eyebrows, an action that immediately made the mermaid deteriorate into a fit of laughter.

Well… he wasn’t wrong.

* * *

         “Kíli! What happened? Are you alright?”

The mermaid rushed to the bankside and grasped hold of the edge when she saw the dwarf stumbling towards the river. Her worried, steel-green eyes scanned the various wounds that seemed to cover every inch of his exposed skin.

         “I’m fine.”

         “I think your black eye begs to differ. Quick, take off your clothes!”

         “My clothes? Lu akraditu! If I had known that this little bruise would want you to take off my clothes, then I would have gotten into a fight sooner!”

         “Kíli!”

         “Irimëa, I promise I’m fine. It was just a small fight.”

         “Then prove to me you’re fine… let me see your chest.”

The dwarf stood with a look of disbelief scribbled on his face.

         “You don’t trust my word?”

         “I do… but I don’t trust those trail of bruises along your collarbone.”

He frowned at her response and gently chewed on his lower lip before finally shaking off his coat. A few layers of clothes later, the dwarven prince finally pulled the last article of clothing over his head and revealed where the handwriting of some fiend remained very legible in black and blue all along his ribcage. The mermaid winced at the brutal sight, but maintained her composure and calmly helped the dwarf into the water.

         “Kíli, do you trust me?”

         “Of course I do.”

         “Close your eyes and float on your back.”

Irimëa held onto Kíli’s hands and helped him lay backwards into the water. For a brief moment the dwarf did nothing but look at the mermaid’s glassy eyes, but he soon closed his eyes shut and waited for further instruction.

Inhaling sharply, the nymph pushed down with all her might and submerged the dwarf under water. Kíli snapped his eyes open and stared wide-eyed into Irimëa’s face. He struggled at first but was quickly put to ease when she pressed her lips against his forehead. The water stilled and he looked upwards into the rippling sky, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue wash over his entire body before finally slipping off into a comfortable, serene darkness.

            “Envinyata ar lave harwë sina vanya.

                       Menta silmë harwë minna, maquete orta naicë sina.”

She repeated the Quenya enchantment several times over and soon a torrent of bubbles began to swirl around the unconscious dwarf’s body. A silvery light began to gleam and wrapped around Kíli’s torso as if it was a bandage with a mind of its own, diffusing into the male’s bruised skin and evidently healing the area to its original, unharmed state. Only a few seconds after the light had disseminated into his skin, Kíli’s eyes snapped open once more and he began to cough and struggle for air, a string of bubbles violently emitting from his mouth. Irimëa wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled dwarf back to the surface where he continued to gasp and cough until at last he regained his strength and managed to compose himself.

         “Are you okay?” She asked over the sound of splashing the dwarf made as he tried to stabilize his footing in the running river.

Kíli nodded his head, his wet hair flinging droplets of water everywhere, and brought the mermaid into an embrace. Bare skin came into contact with bare skin, and blood rushed all over Irimëa’s face and neck with such violence, that they became all of a scarlet color. Oblivious to this, Kíli gently moved his hand to hold the back of her head and murmured into her ear a token of gratitude. A smile appeared to have paralyzed her lips as they embraced, and a secret affection had insensibly stolen into the heart of the mermaid— growing to a great height before she herself discovered it.

* * *

She moved to speak, but the available words were too many and too fast. There were several attempts to snatch at them, but it was the dwarf prince who took the initiative.

            “It’s not as bad as it looks. Just a few cuts and bruises, something every dwarf should have at least every hour or two. You don’t need to worry.”

            “Who…Who is the one that is hurting you?”

            “It’s nothing serious, I promise.”

            “Kíli, please… This is probably the hundredth time you’ve come to me with such horrible injuries.”

He shrugged as if it were no big deal and continued to swing his feet along the surface of the cool water.

            “Would you believe me if I said all these injuries were because I’m very clumsy and accidentally hurt myself?”

            “Even you wouldn’t believe that.”

            “Hmm, you’re right about that.”

            “Do they have a name? Is it more than one dwarf?”

            “Irimëa, I promise this isn’t a big deal. You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

            “Why isn’t your brother or uncle doing anything about this?”

            “Because I don’t need to be babysat all the time!” The male suddenly snapped at the girl and ceased his splashing.

            “I don’t need to go to them all the time just because of this foolish bullying. I don’t need to talk about my problems because they aren’t even problems! It’s just a few bruises, nothing that will kill me.” He growled and looked away.

            “Bullying?” Her voice trailed off and fell away.

            “I…” He gripped the bankside with as much force as he could, and his movements were stiff with rage.

            “A beard… A beard is worth **everything** in a dwarven society. Even the women have them! And… a beard means dignity. Manhood. Strength. Removing a beard is a sign of shame, and the very fact that I cannot seem to grow one is…” He stopped speaking and frantically looked around as if the answer were hidden in plain sight. At last he turned to look at her, his face taking on an incongruous expression of pained and disapproving astonishment.

            “I am looked at with distasteful eyes as a man without honor.”

The mermaid blinked slowly and from there, no more was spoken. Nothing but thoughts.

* * *

Irimëa had come to learn that in spite of Kíli’s arrogant demeanor, she knew he was quite sensitive on the inside. And the fact that he had bouts of crippling self-degradation tore at her heart with a burning, white pain. It was time she did something, but how? A mermaid could not walk onto land and investigate who was hurting Kíli. But the idea that someone or some people had the audacity to harm a dwarven prince boiled the girl’s blood, and after a few mindless conversations with Kíli himself and other dwarves who happened by the riverside she retrieved a name: Cerik.

Cerik was the most typical of dwarves. He was a big-boned, broad shouldered, stout, and stubborn male who preyed on those he deemed weak and was seriously enamored with gold and jewels. It wasn’t too difficult to draw him out either, especially under the pretense that a certain mermaid had discovered a hoard of treasure just near the mouth of the Lhûn river and required assistance carrying it out. Unbeknownst to the barbaric Cerik, however, there was no treasure and instead there was only a vengeful mermaid with the tune of violence on her tongue (a sight quite rare to see for a creature that was normally peaceful and quick to help others).

Fortunately for Cerik, none other than Kíli himself rescued the dwarf several moments after his attempted drowning by the indignant nymph. With the brute’s extension from death and exceedingly grateful vow to leave the dwarf prince alone starting that very moment, Kíli turned to the other culprit.

         “Were you actually going to kill him?”

         “I… I think so.”

A sigh emitted from the dwarf’s throat.

         “You can’t… You can’t jump in like that and try to save me. What if Cerik wasn’t the one who beat me up? Then what would you do if you discovered you had killed an innocent dwarf?”

         “I…” She could feel Kíli’s eyes on her. They reached over and gripped her, waiting for something, anything, to slip from her lips.

         “I don’t know…” The reply floated from her mouth then molded itself like fungus to the riverbed rocks. Such was her feeling of shame.

Kíli sighed and furrowed his eyebrows together before taking a seat near the edge of the river.

         “I’m sorry… I just don’t want you to be put into the line of danger because of something I’ve done… Or in this case haven’t done because I still can’t grow a beard…” He laughed softly to himself and smirked.

         “But… thank you. For everything.” 

* * *

            “Does it hurt?”

            “I honestly doubt you could even muster the strength to hurt a bug.”

Irimëa giggled and continued to pleat the male’s hair, overlapping one section over the other until he had several completed braids adorning his head.

            “All done! Now your hair looks more fit for a prince and less like a bird’s nest.”

Kíli chuckled and turned around so he was facing the mermaid. He gently cupped her cheek and leaned in to press a soft kiss on her forehead.

            “Thank you, I will be forever grateful.”

            “Even though you’re currently standing waist-deep in frigid, river water?”

He chuckled again and offered the nymph one of his goofy, lovable grins.

            “Even though I am standing waist-deep in very _very_ cold water.”

* * *

            “They say that for every dwarf there is a _One_ who shares their true love and half their soul.”

            “And do you believe that?”

            “I believe…” Kíli paused as blood rushed up into the young prince’s face; he dropped his eyes, raised them again for a moment only to find her still smiling at him, and was so overcome that he had to turn away and pretend to be looking very hard at something.

            “Kíli? I beg you tell me… what do you believe?” She neared the edge of the river and rested her hands on his knees.

            “I believe that even though we are from entirely different worlds and I am in no means worthy of your affection yet alone time to even spend on… you are my amrâlimê... my _One_.” His soft-spoken words fell from his lips, emptying into the river like fine sand.

The escaped beginnings of a smile quickly fell from the mermaid’s mouth and in an effortless action, lifted her upper body from the water just high enough so that she could kiss the dwarf on the lips.

            “Hantanyel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations made possible by the Dwarrow Scholar and Amblar Eldaron   
>  • Lu akraditu: I don't believe it  
> • Envinyata ar lave harwë sina vanya: Heal and allow this wound to disappear  
> • Menta silmë harwë minna, maquete orta naicë sina: Send starlight into this wound, for I ask to lift this pain  
> • Amrâlimê: My love  
> • Hantanyel: Thank you
> 
> **Mermaids have the ability to speak and understand several languages including Westron, Sindarin, Quenya, Teleri, Mannish, Valarin and Black Speech with their main language being Quenya
> 
> ***ON HIATUS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE PERMANENT DEPENDING ON WHETHER I FIND MY INSPIRATION AGAIN TO CONTINUE THIS STORY.  
> MAY MY LOVE FOR KÍLI ALWAYS BURN ON REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT I FINISH THIS STORY AND APOLOGIES TO THOSE READERS WHO ENJOYED READING THIS STORY. HOPEFULLY I'LL FIND MY INSPIRATION SOON!


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